California schools live and breathe by a single number: their Academic Performance Index, or API, score. The number, based on a complex math formula that considers students’ proficiency levels on state tests, determines whether the school receives praise (or sanctions) and parents’ admiration (or indifference). But what it doesn’t identify is student achievement growth from year tContinue Reading »

The fallout from last week’s news that Washington and Wisconsin can join 24 other states with flexibility from NCLB has centered on the New York Times’ front-page coverage and whether ESEA waivers represent A) sensible relief to states from an impossible task or B) an all-out retreat from school accountability, particularly for disadvantaged and underserved students.

State education offiContinue Reading »

This guest post is written by Craig D. Jerald of Break the Curve Consulting and author of “On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service.”

Last week, Mike Petrilli at the Fordham Institute incited a welcome flurry of discussion about school inspections with a very thoughtful proposal in the Huffington Post. Citing my recent Education Sector paper on England’s* inspection sContinue Reading »

In the Huffington Post yesterday, Fordham’s Mike Petrilli throws his support behind adding a UK-esque school inspectorate system into school accountability – a topic Craig Jerald explored in Education Sector’s On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service and in subsequent chatter on this blog. Petrilli writes:

To the extent that school grades (and consequences linked to them) drive policy Continue Reading »

Guest blog post written by Craig Jerald of Break the Curve Consulting.

Photo of Craig Jerald

Over the past two weeks, Education Sector has hosted a series of deeply thoughtful guest posts on the possibility of adopting school inspections in the United States, prompted by my report On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service. Clearly, states would need to aContinue Reading »

Editor’s Note: Education Sector recentely released On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service, which outlines how school inspections have become part of the accountability system in England. Would such a system work in the U.S.? We asked a variety of education experts and others to weigh in with their thoughts. We’ll share them throughout the week, and we encourage you to share yourContinue Reading »

Editor’s Note: Last week, Education Sector released On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service, which outlines how school inspections have become part of the accountability system in England. Would such a system work in the U.S.? We asked a variety of education experts to weigh in with their thoughts. We’ll share them throughout the week, and we encourage you to share your reactionsContinue Reading »

Garageband for Textbooks. Everyone’s speculating over Apple’s big announcement, to come Thursday, and all rumors point to college textbooks. (The Atlantic)

Striking tenure. A petition filed in Missouri would eliminate tenure for teachers, but it needs at least 147,000 signatures before it goes before voters in November. (KSPR)

Defining status quo. EngContinue Reading »

Editor’s Note: Last week, Education Sector released On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service, which outlines how school inspections have become part of the accountability system in England. Would such a system work in the U.S.? We asked a variety of education experts to weigh in with their thoughts. We’ll share them throughout the week, and we encourage you to share your reaContinue Reading »

Speechless. A Connecticut elementary school reportedly has a “scream room” or “timeout room” (depending on whether you ask parents or administrators) for students with behavioral problems. Parents reported that their children were locked in rooms with only holes and no windows. Board chairman response? We’ll look into it. (MSNBC)

Accountability in online leaContinue Reading »